Chat with a Vet – 8 Things Every Pet Owner Should Know Before Super Bowl Sunday

The Super Bowl is tomorrow and the countdown is almost over. For many, the event is more about getting together with friends and family than watching the game itself. Friends and family, of course, means your guests AND your guests’ pets. They want to join in on the fun, eat and make some noise when your team scores. While all that is fine, as a pet owner you need to be careful about what your pet is eating. Keep the house pet-friendly by avoiding danger foods and having a pet-friendly food tray set out just for them. To help you out, we used one of our chat with a vet sessions to ask a licensed veterinarian about game day party foods for your pet.

Here’s what they said:

“You never know what food can trigger a bad reaction even if your pet has been having table scraps all their life. However, there are specific foods to avoid, making sure the Super Bowl is just as much fun for them as it is for you, and doesn’t end up being an emergency visit to the vet!

One key thing to remember about any food is amount. Anything in excess can be bad for your pet.”

Chat With A Vet – Your Pet and Fried food

Fried foods are always bad. Every dog is different but you may find your dog vomiting and moping after eating deep-fried chicken. Play it safe and avoid fried foods, because sometimes their GI tracts overreact to even the simplest of fried foods or spicy food. You don’t want to be cleaning up after your pet while the Super Bowl is on. And you don’t want them to end up with VERY painful pancreatitis.

Chat With A Vet – Your Pet and Bones

Here’s an interesting fact – wild animals don’t eat bones. If you ever go hiking or on a safari you’ll see the bones intact with any animal carcass you come across. They suck out the marrow but they don’t eat the bone.

Animals can’t digest cooked bones. Raw bone can be dissolved with the stomach acid and bile,but that’s not the case with cooked bones. … That’s because the composition of a bone changes when you cook it. While your dog might be salivating for one, don’t cave and give it to them.

Chat With A Vet – Your Dog and Chocolate

Avoid chocolate at all costs. Remind children not to give any to your pet, as it can cause a severe reaction, and in dogs with pre-existing heart disease it can be fatal.

Chat With A Vet – Your Dog and Grapes

Grapes and raisins are extremely toxic to dogs. They have the same toxicity as antifreeze. Grapes and raisins cause crystallization of the kidneys and it can kill them very, very quickly. So, grapes are a huge no-no. They might just sneak into a food tray or salad, so keep an eye out for them.

Chat With A Vet – Your Pet and Alcohol

Super Bowl and beer is synonymous. Undoubtedly, a couple of beer bottles will crack open when the game gets going. If your pet gets the taste of alcohol from the lick of a beer bottle in your hand, that shouldn’t hurt them. But don’t leave alcohol easily accessible to your pet. Their livers don’t process alcohol the same way we do and they can go into liver failure if they consume too much

Chat With A Vet – Your Dog and Onions

Onions in a small amount shouldn’t cause much harm, but if your dog has eaten a couple onions, that may cause toxicity. For example, a dog that’s about 25 pounds would have to eat 3-4 medium sized onions to get a reaction. Typically, it can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, and could potentially progress to a significant illness requiring hospitalization.

Chat With A Vet – Your Dog and Coffee

Anything high in caffeine is not good for your dog. Like chocolate and candy bars, coffee has high caffeine which isn’t good for your pet. It can cause severe pancreatitis or GI upset. So keep your pet away from coffee beans, flavoring in a cake, protein bars and fancy waters that contain caffeine.

Chat With A Vet – Your Pet and Macadamia nuts

Macadamia nuts are extremely toxic to animals. When they eat a lot of them it can affect the neurological system. Your dog can have tremors, and if they’ve eaten a lot, become unable to walk and have seizures. One or two nuts may not hurt them, but an excess amount will.

May you and your pet enjoy some super snacks and have a great time watching the Patriots and Eagles! Who are you rooting for?